Bryston announcing SST3 series amps

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Hi Folks,

Sneak Peek:

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: Bryston 4B Cubed Review in hi-finews U.K.

Favourite Quote:

“Ultimately I couldn't find anything that would trip up the Bryston 4B3, no matter what I fed it, the amplifier responded with effortlessness and poise.

It has a refinement and innate musicality that suggests it can turn its hands to anything, albeit in a manner backed by an underlying sense of mischief, and a feeling of power that is little short of addictive.

The measurements (from Paul Miller) are equally impressive overall.”

Adam Smith

[James Tanner - Bryston]

GreenMtnGringo

Thanks for the review preview, James. I have had my 4B3 for just over a week now, and I agree with the reviewer that the sound is addictive!

I find that I can hear much deeper into recordings that I thought I knew well. The instruments and voices were all there before, but now with the 4B3 they are sorted out in such a convincing way, from front to back, side to side, and relative to each other, that it is uncanny. I never owned a Squared amp, so I cannot offer a comparison on that front, but I can say that I have never heard my listening room or my Magnepan MG .7's sound so good!

Congratulations to Bryston on a great amp, and on the upcoming Hi-Fi News review!

[James Tanner - Bryston]

MEMO: To All Bryston Customers
SUBJECT: New Cubed Amplifiers – Thoughts!

Hi James,

Having a right run on the new Cubed 7B’s, sold 4 this week :-)

For me the noise floor just seems lower so you get a more dynamic sound if that makes sense, everything seems to erupt from an inkier black background but still very neutral and honest with just enough warmth to give a very lifelike presentation.

For me you guys still make the best amps in the world :-)

Regards,
Paul Clark

Here to listen...

hifi lounge
4 The Granary Buildings, Millow Hall Farm, Millow, Dunton,
Bedfordshire, SG18 8RH, Phone: +44 (0) 1767 448121
Email: paul@hifilounge.co.uk

[Banter]

Right out of the sealed box, I plug in the power cord and the red led on the back started flashing. I waited a few minutes - still flashing. Turn on the power switch at the back - still red led flashing. Press the front on switch - nothing happens - no power and red led is still flashing. Leave it like that to look up in the manual.

Finally wife says reset it like you do to the Miele dishwasher. So I unplug the power cord, keep the front power button pressed and plug in the power cord.

Now it goes into power up sequence like the manual says - the led turns white then green and everything works out.

Has this happened to anyone?

[James Tanner - Bryston]

Originally Posted by Banter

Right out of the sealed box, I plug in the power cord and the red led on the back started flashing. I waited a few minutes - still flashing. Turn on the power switch at the back - still red led flashing. Press the front on switch - nothing happens - no power and red led is still flashing. Leave it like that to look up in the manual.

Finally wife says reset it like you do to the Miele dishwasher. So I unplug the power cord, keep the front power button pressed and plug in the power cord.

Now it goes into power up sequence like the manual says - the led turns white then green and everything works out.

Has this happened to anyone?

HI

YES - the new safety rules prevent you from turning the amplifier back on if the circuit breaker on the back of the amplifier trips or is in the off position.

So - you MUST have the circuit breaker on the back of the amplifier in the ON position BEFORE you plug the power cord into the wall.

james

[Banter]

Originally Posted by James Tanner - Bryston

HI

YES - the new safety rules prevent you from turning the amplifier back on if the circuit breaker on the back of the amplifier trips or is in the off position.

So - you MUST have the circuit breaker on the back of the amplifier in the ON position BEFORE you plug the power cord into the wall.

james

Thank you, James. I am sure it is mentioned somewhere in the manual.

Have a great weekend!

[GreenMtnGringo]

Originally Posted by James Tanner - Bryston

GreenMtnGringo

Thanks for the review preview, James. I have had my 4B3 for just over a week now, and I agree with the reviewer that the sound is addictive!

I find that I can hear much deeper into recordings that I thought I knew well. The instruments and voices were all there before, but now with the 4B3 they are sorted out in such a convincing way, from front to back, side to side, and relative to each other, that it is uncanny. I never owned a Squared amp, so I cannot offer a comparison on that front, but I can say that I have never heard my listening room or my Magnepan MG .7's sound so good!

Congratulations to Bryston on a great amp, and on the upcoming Hi-Fi News review!

Hi, yes, I wrote the above on Audio Circle a couple of weeks ago and it still rings true. I can add at this point that different preamps make the 4B3-Maggie combo sound quite different (my primary source component is a PS Audio DirectStream DAC).

I have tried four preamps since getting the 4B3 and the overall system sound has ranged from spectacular to mediocre. This exercise has reinforced for me the critical importance of proper component matching, in this case both amp-to-preamp AND source-to-preamp.

In descending order of overall sound quality, I have listened to the following preamps with my 4B3, Maggies and DirectStream:

Mark Levinson No. 326S
Yamaha A-S2000
Classe' CP-500
McIntosh C52

The C52 is running currently and it only has about sixty hours on it, so it could still move up the list as it breaks in. It could conceivably overtake the Classe', but it would be a miracle if it caught up to the Yamaha (I was running the Yamaha when I wrote the AC post that James quoted). And as good as the Yamaha sounds, the Levinson is so far above it and the other two that it is not funny.

(Please note that I am not making sweeping generalizations about the overall sound quality of the four preamps. My ranking is limited to how they sound with my speakers, power amp and source component to my ears in my asymmetrical and otherwise unusual listening room. In a different setup, I could imagine any of the four preamps coming out on top.)

In sum, the Bryston 4B3 is a very special amp that is capable of incredible sound quality, and to get the best out of it, the right preamp is essential.

[moonhawk]

Originally Posted by GreenMtnGringo

Hi, yes, I wrote the above on Audio Circle a couple of weeks ago and it still rings true. I can add at this point that different preamps make the 4B3-Maggie combo sound quite different (my primary source component is a PS Audio DirectStream DAC).

I have tried four preamps since getting the 4B3 and the overall system sound has ranged from spectacular to mediocre. This exercise has reinforced for me the critical importance of proper component matching, in this case both amp-to-preamp AND source-to-preamp.

In descending order of overall sound quality, I have listened to the following preamps with my 4B3, Maggies and DirectStream:

Mark Levinson No. 326S
Yamaha A-S2000
Classe' CP-500
McIntosh C52

The C52 is running currently and it only has about sixty hours on it, so it could still move up the list as it breaks in. It could conceivably overtake the Classe', but it would be a miracle if it caught up to the Yamaha (I was running the Yamaha when I wrote the AC post that James quoted). And as good as the Yamaha sounds, the Levinson is so far above it and the other two that it is not funny.

(Please note that I am not making sweeping generalizations about the overall sound quality of the four preamps. My ranking is limited to how they sound with my speakers, power amp and source component to my ears in my asymmetrical and otherwise unusual listening room. In a different setup, I could imagine any of the four preamps coming out on top.)

In sum, the Bryston 4B3 is a very special amp that is capable of incredible sound quality, and to get the best out of it, the right preamp is essential.

I'd like to hear what you think of it with a Bryston preamp.

[4N6]

Originally Posted by moonhawk

I'd like to hear what you think of it with a Bryston preamp.

+1

[GreenMtnGringo]

Originally Posted by moonhawk

I'd like to hear what you think of it with a Bryston preamp.

Originally Posted by 4N6

+1

The Bryston 4B3 has made me a big Bryston fan and I would like to hear the system with a Bryston preamp at some point!

Finding the right preamp for my mix-and-match system has been somewhat like trying to draw to an inside straight. I sold the Classe' and I am planning to move the Yamaha into a bedroom system and run it as a full integrated amp. Now I am trying to decide whether to keep the Levinson or the McIntosh. Both have built-in phono stages, and the McIntosh has a built-in DAC and headphone amp.

The McIntosh-Bryston-Maggie combo is sounding better and better as the McIntosh breaks in, especially with the McIntosh's built-in DAC (which some have speculated derives from Wadia, which is owned by the same parent company as McIntosh). But I find the Levinson to have particular synergy with the Bryston-Maggie-DirectStream combo.

For me, the takeaway of this preamp shootout is that, with careful component matching, the Bryston 4B3 can scale to incredible heights of sound quality.